Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Man Crush

C'mon, let's admit it guys. We all have a "man crush", right? I really can't speak for the ladies, but I'm sure they have a similar phenomenon. You know what I'm talking about. It's not a crush in a romantic kind of way as much as it is a great admiration for someone.

I was reminded of my man crush the other day while out on a group run. One of the runners mentioned to me that her fake boyfriend was going to be at Chuckanut. Not knowing who this fake boyfriend was, I inquired. Not surprisingly, her fake boyfriend was none other than the man, the myth, the legend, Hal Koerner. She doesn't actually even know Hal, but she thinks he's super dreamy. Well honestly I must concur. Hal is super dreamy. We spent 5 minutes or so talking about him, and I shared with her my infatuation with Hal.

So this is really my ode to Hal Koerner post. I mean let's face it, Hal's definitely got a lot going for him. First off, is there a nicer guy in the sport than Hal? Okay, maybe Phil Kochik, but Phil's like the nicest guy ever, so he hardly counts. Then there's Hal the athlete. The guy has won Angeles Crest twice and is the defending WS champ, not to mention the gazillions of other races he's won. Plus, he's not built like a waify little runner. Hal looks like an athletic person that could handle himself in just about any sports setting. Then there's the Hal style. Sorry Karno, I know you've tried hard, but nobody looks better than Hal Koerner. Did you see him when he broke the ribbon at States? I could swear he showered and coiffed his hair before entering the stadium. I don't think there could have been a more stark contrast to my ghastly finish in 2006 than Hal's hollywood-esque traipse through the tape in 2007. The guy oozes style, well mostly. There does seem to be some debate on that soul patch, but you've gotta' take a chance on something every now and then, right?


Well, all I know is that Hal's a great dude and a helluva' good lookin' guy. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've got a man crush on Hal Koerner. How about you?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a little uncomfortable with the term "man crush", but if I had one, it would have to be David Goggins. I must talk about him a lot because every mention of him to my wife elicits an eye-roll, and my two-year-old son can recognize his face.

Brian Morrison said...

Ya, I can see where it's a little uncomfortable, but I feel the humor of the term outweighs any negative connotations.

Alison Hanks said...

Aawww. Now kick your man crush's butt at Chuckanut! I won't be going afterall, so good luck!

Rogue Valley Runners said...

We'll see how that goes Alison, Brian got me both times, but I can't say the collective margin of victory is all that great.

Sub 4 Brian, I'm expecting nothing less.

Craig Thornley said...

Maybe Hal will wear his pink arm warmers with no shirt for you at Chuckanut. That is one sexy look.

Brian Morrison said...

Hal, I'm terribly embarrassed now. I only wrote that assuming that you'd never read it. Yikes! Is this going to be really awkward the next time we see each other.

In all seriousness, I'm glad that you and Carly are coming to Chuckanut. It feels like my collective margin of victory must be only 5 or 6 seconds. They've been real barn burners. Let's hope for another good one. I look forward to seeing you guys.

Craig, I think that I speak for the majority of the field when I say that we can only hope to see Hal shirtless and in the pink arm panties.

Rogue Valley Runners said...

Craig,

It's quite amazing the way you make it around the in-ter-net. I mean for a guys from Eugene you are becoming pretty savvy. Or perhaps you are a HK stalker!!!

If you really want the pink moebens you should just ask.

Craig Thornley said...

I'll admit, like Brian did, that I also have a man crush on you, Hal.

And, yes, I would love to have a pair of pink moeben sleeves. I'll be stopping by RVR tomorrow on my way to cool.

Brian Morrison said...

Whew! Thanks, Craig. I was beginning to think I was the only one man enough to admit my infatuation with Hal.

AJW said...

I totally have a crush on Hal, too. In fact, Thornley's still pissed at me for missing his song last year at the Georgetown because I was flirting with Hal.

AJW

Brian Morrison said...

Yes! That's what I'm talkin' about, Andy. I know there's a lot of us out there, so let's hear it for Hal.

Alison Hanks said...

this is the best post yet, brian. see you at sun mtn.

Gary Robbins said...

Wow, there's a whole lotta man love going on here!
Is it wrong that I have HK as my screen saver...ha ha, just kiddin...or am I?
GR

Brian Morrison said...

Gary, there's enough blogs that are doing a terrific job covering the trials and tribulations of ultra running. My new format is "man" love. What do you think?

Alison, although this deviates from my new format, I'm really getting excited for Sun Mountain. See you soon.

Laura H said...

Oh man - that front pack at Chuckanut is gonna be the dreamiest EVER!! I'll be working the finish line, so if you boys wouldn't mind, you can remove your shirts before you get there. Only problem is I'll be swooning so much I may mess up your finish times...especially if HK is still rockin' the pink Moebens!

King Arthur said...

I think I have a man crush on you Brian.

Brian Morrison said...

Awww shucks. Now you've got me blushing, Arthur.

Kevin Gosselin said...

seems King Arthur beat me to it...
I was about to put myself out on a limb and say that Brian's being awfully modest about him being pretty dreamy himself
dude, you rock the trails and Hal got competition on being the nicest guy around

hehe, awwwwkkward...
good thing I'm headed out of town for the next 3 months